We buy (and use) what we want to be. For example, if we aspire to become tech-savvy, we might run Linux on our computer, or if we wish to be seen as outdoorsy, there's a good chance we'll drive a Subaru.
Not that there's something wrong with those products. They simply help us to build our identity and reflect our desire to align with certain lifestyles or communities. As does actively boycotting others.
Reddit user MasterMirkinen wanted to tap into the consumer mindset of the platform's users, so they asked everyone which things they refuse to purchase due to the people and companies behind them. Here are the most popular answers to that question.
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Dr. Rami Gabriel, an Associate Professor of Psychology at Columbia College Chicago and author of Why I Buy: Self, Taste, and Consumer Society in America, has written a comprehensive piece for Psychology Today about living in a material world.
In it, he suggested that self-identity in the West consists of three parts:
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A metaphysical aspect—something like a soul or essence;
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A social orientation—in our case, individualism;
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A practical aspect—our emphasis on expressing yourself.
Consumer society, according to Gabriel, is where these elements play out. "It provides products that allow us to express our individual essence. It is thus our natural psychological need to identify who we are and to which social group we belong that drives our relation to consumerism," he said in the text. "Our identities are manifested in consumer tribalism, as brands identify us by class, race, gender, age, etc. An individual’s taste becomes the main determinant of their identity."
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We got in touch with Gabriel and he agreed that deliberately avoiding brands and products is also a significant form of self-expression in consumer society.
"It is virtue signaling on one hand and on the other it is a way to manifest one's convictions within the context of capital," he told Bored Panda. "Also, movements like Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) are powerful insofar as they publicize the flow of capital and uncover how injustice is supported by companies which are not explicitly (or some employees even knowingly) contributing to, due to the opacity of capital."
Gabriel said, "Global capitalism is so complicated that these boycott movements are some of the only ways that we learn how we are implicated in webs of inequality and injustice. For some people, boycotting is a way of telling other people that their consumption is ethically above board and also convincing themselves that there is a way to navigate the opacity of power in a responsible and knowing way."
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If we rely solely on our economic activities to define our identities, we risk running into problems. "We can develop a sense that we ourselves are the channel that people like to watch," Gabriel said.
"This is a form of fetishism of the self, which can have consequences for our sense of self-worth (ex. FOMO) and sense of meaning in our lives (see all the work by Sherry Turkle on the consequences of online life for teenagers). One of the nefarious consequences of this is that many individuals exist as content creators for tech companies, perpetuating the cycle of staying on social media and thinking it is a crucial part of socializing."
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"For some, being a creator is also a creative, even artistic, act. As I discuss in my book Why I Buy: Self, Taste, and Consumer Society in America, our culture gives value to the act of expression, which is thought to be a conduit from our innermost selves," Gabriel added.
"When we think of expression (artistic or otherwise) as directly tied to self, there are implications for how we value the kinds of interaction that we get from our online identities, and this can devalue other forms of social communication and notions of self-worth. Deriving value from consumer society rather than more traditional forms of identity, like family structures, has consequences for the cohesion of society."
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Of course, this doesn't mean you should build an off-grid cabin in the woods and become completely self-sustainable. (Although that is a nice picture.)
You can start by getting rid of the stuff that makes you feel stress, guilt, and other negative emotions when you look at it. The clothing pieces you never wear, the sports equipment you never use, and the gadgets that clutter your shelves only to collect dust.
Simplifying your surroundings can help you focus on what truly matters and bring an added sense of clarity to your life.
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I refuse to buy anything from the Acme Corporation. Their products always seem to backfire in the most cartoonishly disastrous ways. Plus, I heard their CEO is a real coyote. I mean, come on, who wants to support a company run by a guy who's constantly chasing roadrunners?Anything Kardashian/ Jenner.Anything Trump.Tesla. They could be amazing cars, but I can’t stand Musk.Anything advertised by influencers. Keep that trash away from me.Anything backed by a religious element. Hobby lobby & Chick-fil-A come to mind right away but if I notice any brands actively spouting religious ideas I'm never supporting them again.Twitter, the owner is a f****n’ tool.Nestlè products. And it's getting difficult to find stuff that doesn't lead back to them.I just had a baby and wasn't looking so great - still was losing the weight from the pregnancy, plus not getting outside that often, barely getting showers in, etc... My husband bought me a hefty gift card for MAC, which at the time I loved.
Went in, mostly cleaned up, but bare faced to get a foundation match, new lipstick, you name it. I couldn't get anyone to help me. Sales associates were helping out all the younger and prettier girls. I finally went up and asked for assistance with a foundation match and a lipstick. The sales associate gave me the glare up and down, did a twirl with his finger to encompass my post-pregnancy body and haggard looking face and said 'ma'am, we just can't fix ugly....just.....whatever, find it yourself'.
I asked another sales associate who rolled her eyes and said 'I don't have time for you'. I left in tears feeling fat and ugly. My husband convinced me to write MAC about the incident, and corporate said they would ensure I would received good service. Set up and appointment time for a 'makeover' and went back another day to the same store (Westfields in London). I was mega shy at the time, but after being ignored again, I said I was here for my appointment. The sales associate looked at me, did a lip snarl, and told me he wasn't going to do it, and he didn't give a s**t was corporate said. He added on some 'haggard ugly women' comment about my face. Long story short, MAC refunded the money from the gift card. I took it and went the Chanel counter in Selfridges. They made me feel like a million. Helped me find a routine for on the go, etc... the ladies from Guerlain came over and helped too.
Never bought from MAC again - 15 years later.Any product associated with MLMs. The business model actively exploits people who *need* a second income, and the owners know that.Goop.Bob Ross products. Love the man but since he died the people that took over his brand and started selling s**t with his name on it are awful, terrible people.
Edit: this is the documentary on Netflix, Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed.There's a local contractor who used to come into a restaurant I worked in. He'd send one of his guys after hours and on weekends for emergency repairs, which is an invaluable resource in a restaurant with old plumbing and electric. As a result, he and his guys came in a few times a week for free lunch.
One night I was driving home, and I saw one of their trucks swerve to hit a cat that had already been run over. That is, the driver went out of his way to erratically change his path of travel - not to purposely kill something, but to disrespect something that had already died in an unfortunate way. I don't know why, but this is somehow worse to me.
I called their number to let them know, didn't say who I was or anything. I talked to the head guy. Mr. Big Stuff himself, and he proceeded to be a huge a*****e over the phone, calling me a pussy f-slur-for-gay-people and hung up.
I ran the numbers regarding how many times they had done work for us versus how much they got in free food, and decided to terminate our working relationship. I was fortunate enough to serve them their first bill for lunch in five years. Mr. Big Stuff came to the register to point out the mistake, and I asked if he had fielded any phone calls recently. About someone in his truck running over a dead cat. About a week ago. Caller probably sounded like a f*****g pussy. Yeah, we don't offer that discount anymore.
Years later, I have had several opportunities to share stories about what a d**k the guy is with people building or renovating, and have pointed them to the business started by one of the guy's apprentices instead. Dude always tipped whatever his meal would have cost, and was always the one coming to fix things anyway.Any new vehicle that offers subscription services.I will never buy Chick-fil-A myself, because the owners willingly and knowingly directly fund christian gay conversion camps - ya know, the places that traumatize and threaten and scare innocent young children, that are kept there agaist said childrens' will even up to age 17, because their parents are brainwashed by ridiculous religious teachings.Anything from Shein.PRIME Energy Drink. The group of f**k boys that own it are the absolute worst.I have no interest in giving my money to the owners of Hobby Lobby.TikTok.
I just don’t trust the CCP or anyone who can disappear the Chinese Jeff Bezos for 3 months and then have him come back singing a different tune.Jimmy John’s. The owner is a trophy hunter who kills elephants. No way in hell my money is going to support that s**t.
Edit: apparently the a*****e sold the company. I was not aware, but I’m glad to hear it. Maybe I’ll try a sandwich now .Pete's Lawn Care. Pete is the most racist piece of s**t I've ever had the misfortune to interact with in person. I was on a plane next to him and he screamed about being 6' and this grown a*s man started kicking the seat off this petite Asian woman in front of him. The Asian woman was from the US and spoke perfect English. Pete didn't care. She tried to ignore him and he taunted her, she tried to unrecline her seat and he kicked it at just the right time to send her head flying into the seat in front of her. It gave her a bloody nose. He kept calling her a TON of derogatory names due to her race and her children sitting next to her, as well as everyone else in the vicinity, were appalled. The flight attendant apologized profusely to her and moved her to business class. Pete was FURIOUS that he was SIX FEET TALL and cramped and HE should get moved up to business class.
How do I know he owns Pete's Lawn Care in [deleted]? He told us, the entire plane. He's six feet tall, he is a very successful businessman, he owns his own company, he worked from the ground up for what he has, these f*****g Asians ruin f*****g everything in this country (including his experience in economy class on a plane) etc. etc. and he let the company slip. I wrote it down so I would never, ever forget what a racist piece of s**t is Pete from Pete's Lawn Care in [deleted].
**EDITED to remove the city. I really appreciate everyone's investment but I am not trying to destroy this business. I'm only stating that I would never use it and why. I don't think it's right to sabotage his online reviews, but don't worry - they were already pretty horrible (2.8/5 stars on Google) before I posted this. Let's leave him and his "very successful" business alone so that when it fails, it's due to their s****y business practices and not only the s****y owner. Also, this was in 2016, so eight years ago. Lastly, I asked my friend (who was traveling with me) what she remembered about the incident. She said she remembered him kicking the seat so hard the lady hit her head, that he was so vocal about being OVER 6' tall, and that the lady got moved to first class, not business.MyPillow.Anything from Meta (facebook).Uber Because of their disregard to local laws/regulations and don't give a s**t about employment laws.I refused to purchase gas/petrol at BP for years because of the Gulf Oil spill.Jimmy John's.Tesla. It's a product that has become progressively WORSE over time. The early models have better features than the cars today. How does that make sense?
Throw Musk and his ravings and behavior into the mix...
Never. Rivian is great. GM is surprisingly great.For me it’s Amazon….Bezos’ never gotten a penny of my money, and Nestle because F**k Nestle.
Amazon is easy for me but Nestle is tougher. I used to enjoy KitKat and San Pelegrino.I refuse to purchase F-35s from Lockheed Martin. Those guys have done some shady things in the past and until they clean their street I refuse to spend my hard-earned cash on their overpriced jets.Locally, there are several restaurants in my city that I won't visit because they are all owned by the same guy and he was rude to me on an earlier occasion. Yes, I can be quite petty about these things.
